The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-06-04
To-dav was Mondav. she had not


 "To think of her trying to make us believe that she is really only coming from Saturday to Monday" said Mar garet scornfully. q don't quite see how she could peep at the fashions between Saturday afternoon and Mon- day morning, unless she means she is going to study the bonnets in church. !"
 "Well," I said, dividing my morn- ing paper into two, and giving Mar garet the part with the births, deaths, and marriages, which she always likes to see; tits awkward her wishing to come So us just as we have decided not to have a spare aoom, but we can easily write and say we haven't one."
 "No," said Margaret, shaking her head sagely, "that would never do. In the first place, she would be very much offended, and she mustn't be of fended, for you know, Charles, have some expectations from her-though it is not much." That was very true. "Then," she continued, tour not hav- ing her to stay in this house will not prevent her coming up to town. She will come all the same, and stay at a hotel. She will walk in upon us di- rectly she arrives-Saturday afternoon, very probably. She will. of course. expect to be shown all over the house; and it will strike her as rather pecu- liar why we have left our large front bedroom on the third floor empty. You know the horrid way she always notices everything. She will bear down upon me with all avalanche of questions, and probably get every thing out of me before 1 know where 1 am. No. What we must do is to turn that room into some other kind of room-not bed-room," she con cluded somewhat vaguely.
 It was time for me to go to the city, so we did not discuss the matter any more just then.
 As have said, this was Monday, and by Wednesday evening we had not come to any decision about our spare room. But Margaret had written a polite though. l am afraid, rather note to Aunt Georgina, saying that unfortunately we pos sessed no spare bedroom, and entreat- ing her to take up her quarters at the Paddington hotel, and give us as much of her society as was possible.
 On Wednesday evening we began seriously to discuss our spare room: time was getting short. Margaret could suggest nothing but a picture gallery or private chapel: but as we had no pictures worth speaking of. and there was q church in the next street. the suggestion could hardly be called good one; and my idea of turning the room into a kitchen-as the sanitary dwelling folk tell one that the kitchen should always be at the top of the houSe-WaS received by Margaret with Scorn and contumelv.
 "Fancy ones dinner coming down to one, instead of up." she said; "how dreadful it would be. Pm sure I should never be able to eat morsel."
 Il don't quite see the obiection." replied, mildly, "unlcss you think it would be a come down. and in any case, your dinner must go down when you eat it, you know"
 Margaret took no notice of this re- mark. It is always a good point of honor with her not to see any of my jokes when they are at her expense. She did not even smile.
 Ut would be horrible.' she went on. ''I should feel that the next thing would be, 1 should have to wear di- vided skirts and stockings with toes to them."
 II thought stockings always had toes," l said, but Margaret vouchsafed me no reply, not condeScending to in- form me that she referred to Dr. Jaeger's new system, where the toes of the stockings are separated like the fingers in a glove.
 The next day, as I was sitting in my office, brilliant idea suddenly rushed post-haste into my mind. It was so brilliant, and also 1 felt that the time was getting on so fast, that I decided to go home at once and com it to Margaret. l was rather proud oft, for as rule do not have so many brilliant ideas as she has. Therefore, at once left the office. it was only half past three; and hailing the first respectable-look- ing hansom that 1 could see. drove rapidly home.
 l dashed upstairs into the drawing room, where Margaret was sitting.
 "Oh. Charley '" she cried; "how you startled me. was altering dress. and l thought you were a caller" And she pulled out her paraphernalia from under the sofa, where she had hastily huddled it.
 Margaret" l cried, II have an ideal"
 "What?" she said, and looked as astonished as if I had said I had got megalosaurus in my pocket.
 "l have an idea about the spare room." gasped: for I was very much ont Of hrnath h with my ,.;I oe,o,,t 4